Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention Position Statement

Exertional Heatstroke (EHS) is the leading cause of preventable death in high school athletics. Students participating in high-intensity, long-duration or repeated same-day sports practices and training activities during the summer months or other hot-weather days are at greatest risk. Football has received the most attention because of the number and severity of exertional heat illnesses. Notably, the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reports that 35 high school football players died of EHS between 1995 and 2010. EHS also results in thousands of emergency room visits and hospitalizations throughout the nation each year. This NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) position statement is the companion piece to the NFHS’s online course “A Guide to Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention.” This position statement provides an outline of “Fundamentals ” and should be used as a guiding document by member state associations. Further and more detailed information can be found within the NFHS on-line course, the 4th Edition of the NFHS Sports Medicine Handbook, the NFHS SMAC “Position Statement and Recommendations for Hydration to Minimize the Risk for Dehydration and Heat Illness ” and the resources listed below. Following the recommended guidelines in this position statement and “A Guide to Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention ” can reduce the risk and incidence of EHS and the resulting deaths and injuries in high school athletics. The NFHS recognizes that various states and regions of the country have unique climates and variable resources, and that there is no “one-size-fits-all ” optimal acclimatization plan. However, the NFHS and the NFHS SMAC strongly encourage member state associations to incorporate all of the “Fundamentals ” into any heat acclimatization plan to improve athlete safety. In addition, “A Guide to Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention ” should be required viewing for all coaches